What you guys who don't want Millsap are failing to understand is that we already have a superstar, we have James Harden. We don't need a superstar to play with him although it would of course be nice. We just need a second option, borderline all star caliber player. You're also not realizing we have lots of young players with high potential. Maybe Parsons can become a borderline all star. Maybe Jones or D-Mo, maybe Morris, maybe Asik, maybe even Lin if he's only shooting bad because of a bum knee. The point is we only need ONE of those guys to turn into a 2nd/3rd option. Then with Millsap and Harden we would have our own Big Three. I'd be fine with getting Millsap then letting the team develop and grow together. Would be even better if we could hire a HoF coach in the process. Don't suppose we could convince Phil Jackson to make one more go of it... :grin:
Right. And what I am saying is that Morey has positioned the team to be in the right place at the right time if/when the extremely good Paul Millsap is made available by a Utah front office that may decide that it can't afford to re-sign him. Trading expendable young players who are unlikely to ever be as good as good as Millsap is right now for Millsap is not the short-sighted, impatient decision that many folks seem to think it is. This Rockets team is a Paul Millsap and a healthy Jeremy Lin away from being awfully good, right away, and the entire core would be either young or in their prime.
Why would Utah possibly want more frontcourt players - let alone three of them??? Doesn't make any sense. Fantasy land.
Well I agree with your premise, but I'm not sure Millsap will make a big enough splash. I hardly watch any Utah games, so I could be wrong about his skill level, but even if he is the star you claim he is, I don't know if Les will okay it. All of the guys we have gunned for in years past are unquestionably "big name" players that bring about a buzz when you hear their names. Amar'e, Deron, Bosh, Melo, Dwight are all players that (at the time we tried to trade for them) sold tickets and jerseys. The last few times Les has spoken to the media, he mentions "super stars" and "players wanting to play in Houston". Even at Lin's press conference he talked about the fact that Lin drew headlines which would subsequently bring more exposure here that will make stars want to play here. Leslie Alexander wants to win more than anything, but making money and getting exposure is right up there on his to-do list. I don't think Millsap, assuming he'd be at a near-max salary, is a Les Alexander player.
Also, how is it "idiotic" to not consider a power forward a STAR when he's never scored 18 PPG, never grabbed 9 RPG, and never had 2 BPG in a season. Those might not be ADVANCED statistics, but they're pretty telling.
Have you guys ever seen Millsap play? Somebody tell me that this guy can't get 22pts and 9 rebs with starter minutes on the Rockets. This guy can get buckets in a variety of ways and I he's basically a combo of Landry and Faried. He is better than Landry is almost every way and his motor is almost at Faried's level. He rebounds the ball well, can hit a jump, and have actual post moves. The only weakness is one on one post defense. I read somewhere that he is one of the worst defenders when it comes to isolations, but we have Asik down low, so this will not be as bad as it was in Utah. He should be at least an average defender everywhere else. What else do you want from our PF? Per 36 on the Rockets, he can easily get 22 pts, 9 rebs, 3 asts, 1 stl, 1 blk, shooting 48%. This is a STAR at 27 years old. You guys don't want this guy? If he signs for anywhere close 4 years/50 million, this is a bargain. Morey knows this.
Not sure Morey agrees with this. He never used the word "superstar" to describe James Harden. He used the carefully chosen words "foundational player." He said it takes more than one of them to win a championship, so I'd guess that he's looking for another player at least on the level of James Harden, if not better.
Umm how "Idiotic" is it to pay a center 25 million that have never averaged more than 3 pts per game? How "idiotic" is it to pay someone 80 million that have never averaged more than 16 pts per game? How "idiotic" is it to pay the pay to someone the MAX after averaging only 15.4 pts per game? (t-mac) Yes, you get the point.
All of those examples are of players that were coming off rookie deals and still improving. Millsap is what he is.
With what advanced statistic did you use to arrive at those numbers? Sounds like you're just pulling them out of your a$$.
Exactly. Millsap is a bargain at near-max money, and Morey knows it. Therefore, it stands to reason that Morey is trying to trade for Millsap. The fact that Morey has the ability to sign Millsap outright this summer (wherein Utah receives ZERO in return) also is obviously helpful, as it drives down Utah's asking price for Millsap. And yet another thing going in Houston's favor here is that such a high percentage of NBA teams are so badly managed, which means that not very many teams are well-positioned to make a strong offer for Millsap, and also that not very many teams are clever enough to realize how damn good Millsap is.
First off, great great post... i hope everyone who can spread rep in fact did so like i did... I can see morey signing a guy like millsap because of his great advanced stats... but i do get the feeling that's not what morey is planning... he wants value and under appreciated players, whereas millsap isn't under rated... don't get me wrong people do under value him but i feel like he'll garner high dollars and that's something morey doesn't want to do... he wants to stay flexible and keep avenues open if something was to present itself... Also he has repeatedly said we need to be patient, which to me seems as if he's looking forward to the much sexier free agent class along with more potential trade opportunities presenting themselves... Personally i believe more will sign some under recognized players and turn them into good trade assets... Also as bima stated keep an eye out for ga sol because he would be a great expiring contract and would make us better in the meantime which would lead this young team to valuable playoffs experience....
What do you mean? Just look at his per 36 minute this season. I just added a few more points because we don't have Jefferson in the middle taking up shots, and subtracted rebounds since Asik is a better rebounder. You don't need advanced statistics to project numbers.
If Millsap really is as good as you make him sound, I'd be fine with the move. I still need to be convinced though.
Millsap is different because he was a second rounder, so he wasn't locked for 4 years. Also, he has been playing with Jefferson and Boozer, so he can't really just have the ball in his hands.
Exactly. You realize Millsap has already started 200 games, right? The funny thing is I think Millsap might be a good fit. I just find it very ignorant to claim it's "idiotic" to not view Millsap as a star. You're not a star until you prove you're a star. He might have the potential to be a star, but there's no way he's earned that title yet.
Watch a Jazz game and watch what he does when he doesn't have the ball. He has extremely high IQ and a hard worker as well. You can also watch his post moves...pretty good if you ask me.
Millsap is #17 in the league thus far in wins produced, according to this website: http://www.thenbageek.com/players
I may be over exaggerating things. But I have watched Washington State's Brock Motum game and this kid is a good deal. Great ISO player and post up player.
